La Hacienda de Placitas

On Saturday, October 8th, I was in Bernalillo with my relatives. Fortunately there was a gifts and antiques shop at the Range Cafe, so while they were diverted for a few minutes, I dashed up towards Placitas to check out La Hacienda de Placitas. At the last minute, my nephew Aaron joined me.

Our timing was fortunate. Even though co-owner Laura Bass was leaving on an errand, her husband, Steve Bass, was available, and consented to give us a tour of their Bed-and-Breakfast establishment.

My nephew Aaron, in the parking lot of La Hacienda de Placitas.

Steve Bass of La Hacienda de Placitas shows off a couple of "bullet holes" (on the panel, up above) left by the AMC crew.

The swimming pool at La Hacienda de Placitas.

The swimming pool at La Hacienda de Placitas.

The filming occurred in May, 2011, and it was a bit chilly when they did so.

If you look carefully at the views of the distant WNW horizon, you can see Cabezon (also featured in Season 3, Episode 1, "No Mas")!

The swimming pool at La Hacienda de Placitas.

An area where larger-than-life actor Steve Bauer liked to hold court at La Hacienda de Placitas.

The juniper/pinon studded hillside behind La Hacienda de Placitas.

Doorway at La Hacienda de Placitas.

Inside La Hacienda de Placitas.

My nephew Aaron, on the hunt for las chicas, who were last seen heading this way.

Inside La Hacienda de Placitas.

Bathroom area at La Hacienda de Placitas. The AMC crew placed an insert in the doorway here, and a prop toilet here as well, for Gus's use (this particular room is a room for baths only, and features no toilet).

(If I might be so bold) Steve and Laura Bass are willing to entertain offers on their gorgeous establishment (several million dollar range).

My Search For Tuco's Desert Shack

Tuco's desert home proved vexing to find ("Breaking Bad", Season 2, Episode 2, 'Grilled').

At first, I was very confident where Tuco's house in the desert was located. The TV series seemed to show the presence of a rail line nearby, and that was a major clue. The mountain in the distance might be Polvadera Peak, in the Ladron Mountains, southwest of Albuquerque. The small, rather uniform sagebrush vegetation is actually rather unusual in New Mexico: surprisingly scarce! The only place it seems to be abundant is in the Los Lunas/Belen area, and it may be a threatened biome, for all I know. I figured Tuco's shack had to be southwest of Los Lunas, perhaps along Highway 6. So I traveled the length of Highway 6 in August, 2010, trying to find it. The house wasn't out there!

So, in May, 2011, I made a second attempt, and traveled east of Belen, along Highway 47 towards Mountainair, and to the south of that highway.

That area SE of Belen shares several features in common with Tuco's desert house. It has the small, uniform, sagebrush vegetation in abundance. It has the rail line. It has the mountain in the distance, with the base obscured by nearby hills. Near Casa Colorada, I felt I was getting very close to finding Tuco's desert house. But the neighborhood seemed a bit too modern to be the exact site. So, I kept on looking!

Left: The Ladron Mountains, as seen from Highway 6, near Dalies, NM.


Nevertheless, despite the frustration, I wasn't unhappy that Tuco's place was so hard for me to find. You encounter many strange things on the back roads of New Mexico. You may not find what you are looking for, but you will still find something of interest.

Take a look at what I found in the vast desert!

I just know there is an interesting tale associated with this place (34.586666°, -106.691469°), but I have absolutely no idea what that tale might be! I need a "Breaking Bad" script writer, ASAP!

Tuco's desert house (Season 2, Episode 2, "Grilled"). On Dalies Road, west of Los Lunas (34.800059°, -106.849620°).

On my third attempt (October, 2011), I finally located the place!

To'hajiilee

To'hajiilee (formerly Cañoncito). The Navajos in this region have a complicated history of estrangement from the rest of their brethren, but these days, things seem peaceful and pleasant out here.

To'hajiilee Community School. The area used in the opening scenes of "Breaking Bad" is about 1.4 miles west of this location. On Google Earth, the road is labelled Trail 7089. The turnoff is unmarked, however, so caution is required to avoid getting mixed up.

Horses graze along the road, so caution is required to avoid hitting them.

Beautiful young horses!

Descending into Walt's Valley of Angst (35.101197°, -107.135481°). Prudence is recommended in this area, however, because people live just a short distance from this location.

Prominent rock around which the RV drives.

Within about 100 feet of Walt's first stand.

"Just a cow house that way."

"Cow house?"

"Yeah, you know--where they live...."

An equine farewell.

[UPDATE (07/16/13): And they return to To'hajiilee?:

Episode 513 -- "To'hajiilee": Things heat up for Walt in unexpected ways. (The title is the name of a Navajo reservation in New Mexico.)]

As Crazy As Ever

In the early Seventies, my mother worked as a clerk in this shop in Old Town Albuquerque, owned by Eleanor and Brice Sewell, and known as the Old Crazy Horse. Today, it's known as the Yucca Art Gallery.

San Felipe de Neri Church

Even though the San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town Albuquerque has been there since 1706, I don't think I've ever been inside before....

Just A Small Fire

On Monday evening, following long habit, I went to Pepper Von's "Step One Health and Fitness Studio" for my Cardio Step Class. After slacking off during last week's vacation, I was very eager to get back to work, and back to peak physical health! The Monday night class is extraordinarily rigorous, and thus, for me, the primary key to my health. It's the best health bargain one can get in all of Sacramento! I'm very loathe to skip it, for any reason.

When I arrived for class, several club patrons were gathered around Pepper's office. I could hear concern in their voices. When I passed the weight room, several women came out. One said: "I could smell the fire a while ago, but the odd thing is that it doesn't seem to have grown at all."

Ah, there was a small fire in the health studio! Indeed, I thought I could smell the merest whiff of smoke.

I headed to the men's restroom, to the remote back of the room, far from the door, where I started to change clothes. There seemed to be a philosophical aspect to this presence of a small fire in the health studio that I hadn't considered before.

How large should a fire be in order to be considered a fire? Is it possible to have a small fire in the weight room, and have no effect at all in the aerobics room? For how long? Can one have a small fire in the weight room indefinitely?

In any event, the last thing I wanted was to have a fire interfere with my aerobics class. I slowly changed into my workout clothes, then stopped at the urinal (whatever might happen, I didn't want to deal with a fire with a full bladder). I hesitated for a moment, then put my jeans back on, over my workout clothes. Just to be prepared, you know, in case someone wanted to evacuate the studio.

When I emerged from the restroom, most of the people seemed to have already left the health studio. There was no sense of panic; just a firm sense of purpose. Unlike me, most people seemed to regard the presence of a fire in the health studio as a matter of practical, not philosophical, concern. People were already taking precautions: there was a haze hugging the floor in the weight room, apparently from recent use of a fire extinguisher.

Alas, as I might have expected, someone had called the Fire Department! I could hear the sirens as I emerged onto the sidewalk. The Fire Department seemed to regard a small fire in the health studio as a potential challenge, since they sent four - four! - engines, plus an ambulance, to deal with the situation. It felt like an overreaction - it was just a small fire, after all - but there were children here too, so I suppose one can't be too careful.

Scuttling like a cockroach on T Street, this car was unable to avoid being instantly surrounded by four fire engines. In a few minutes, first one, then another engine were sent back to their fire houses: it was just a small fire after all.

Dagnabit, this is going to interfere with my aerobics class after all! Even if it's just a small fire, it's going to take hours to resolve. I'll have to go home after all!

This ventilation fan seems to signal that the problem is more practical in nature than philosophical.

Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum